


I Love You No Matter What

by GayGremlin



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Bisexual Sokka, Coming Out, Fluff, Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, Love, M/M, Zuko-centric, gay Zuko, iroh being the best uncle, mentions of katara and the rest of sokka's family, ozai is a grade a asshole, zukka - Freeform, zuko and sokka are in love your honor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:01:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28258116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GayGremlin/pseuds/GayGremlin
Summary: Zuko and Sokka are in love, and have been in a committed relationship for over two years.  The only problem?  Zuko has yet to tell his uncle.  Having grown up in a very homophobic society, and finally coming to terms with his own sexuality through his relationship with Sokka, Zuko decides that it is finally time to let his uncle in on this very important aspect of his life, no matter how nervous he is of his reaction.  He just hopes that his uncle will still love him.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 112





	I Love You No Matter What

**Author's Note:**

> Howdy! This is my first Zukka fic after finishing Avatar: The Last Airbender, so I hope you like!
> 
> FYI, I write this as a gay person who knows firsthand how crippling internalized homophobia can be, as well as the stress of coming out to those closest to you. So this isn't like,,, just my speculations about it.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

"He's my uncle," he whispered, his voice quivering and heart pounding thunderously in his chest. "I have to tell him."

He felt the chest of the body behind him heave with a heavy sigh, and felt their exhale lightly stir the hair atop his head. Prince Zuko ( _ Firelord _ Zuko, he reminded himself. Even after three years of holding the throne, he often couldn't believe that it was truly his) was laying on his side atop the soft mattress of his all-too-large bed. Well, he would have considered it to be too large if it weren't for the warm body that had been sleeping beside him almost every night for the past two and a half years. Sokka, the ambassador from the Southern Water Tribe, the boy who had at first his enemy, then his ally, then his friend... and finally, his lover.

Zuko loved falling asleep every night wrapped up in the other's arms, his lover's head resting in his hair and his arms wrapped loosely around Zuko’s midsection. The Firelord felt safe like this. All of the stress of ruling the Fire Nation, the pressure to be as strong of a leader as his predecessors had been, the daunting task of redeeming his nation in the eyes of the others, and to help the world rebuild from all of the damage that the Fire Nation had caused... all of those worries seemed to disappear. With Sokka, he was safe, he was loved,  _ he was himself _ . 

He had never loved anyone quite like he loved Sokka. He loved him more than anything in the world. There was no comparison. 

The realization of this had struck him as if by lightning. They had been seventeen then, the war having ended only a year prior. The world was in the process of rebuilding itself and Zuko was still acclimating to his place on the throne. The two boys had grown close over the previous year or two, especially after their successful rescue mission at the Boiling Rock prison. Trust had turned to friendship, which soon morphed into infatuation (something that terrified Zuko more than the wrath of his father ever had... or perhaps it was because of his father that he was so scared. Though this was something he preferred not to think about). 

Zuko was determined to never breathe a word of his newfound feelings for the other boy to anyone, especially not to the subject of his affection. No one was to know. He hadn't felt this much conviction about something since his mission to find the Avatar had consumed his every waking moment. His friends couldn't know, his family couldn't know, his advisors, his servants, his guards... no one was to find out. It was his deep, dark secret;  _ secret  _ being the key word. And he was determined to keep it that way. If word were to get out about his... perversion... it would be disastrous. He would be dethroned at the very least, likely banished, and worse: he could be executed. It had happened before. The Fire Nation had never been kind to those who preferred romantic or sexual relations with someone of the same sex. It was seen as an abomination, unnatural, shameful, and, most importantly, dishonorable. Honor was a thing of utmost importance to the Fire Nation, and anything that defiled such a precious thing just couldn't be tolerated.

But now, he couldn't possibly care less. He couldn't believe that he had ever considered his attraction to be unnatural or perverted. Loving Sokka felt like the most natural thing in the world, and their love reached far beyond mere sexual desire. This was the man that Zuko fully intended to spend the rest of his life with, laws and customs be damned. 

"You're the Firelord," Sokka had said to him once. "Why can't you just... change the law?" Zuko had sighed sadly, meeting his lover's eyes with a doleful quirk of his lips.

"I wish I could," he responded. "I wish nothing more than to be able to overturn that stupid, stupid law, but... I can't. There's too many people who still see these laws as a fact of nature rather than just mere rules on paper. If I were to try to change them... I could be dethroned, distrusted, hated... And I could even have a coup on my hands. I just can't." 

Sokka had nodded, downcast but understanding. Zuko reached out and cupped the other’s cheek gently with the palm of his hand. Sokka smiled softly and leaned into it. Zuko gazed at him with adoring eyes. 

"I'm sorry," he whispered sincerely, his voice breaking slightly.

"Don't be," Sokka had replied.

But now they were lying in bed, the room around them dark albeit the pale moonlight filtering in through the window, and Zuko was genuinely thinking about telling someone about the very thing he had vowed never to breathe a word of. 

Technically, Sokka had his own room in the palace. Each ambassador did. But Zuko considered his own room to be  _ their  _ room. Sokka never slept anywhere else, after all (except, of course, when he had to travel when duty called. Those were the worst weeks for Zuko. He sulked the entire time and was unbearably irritable, missing the other as if he were missing a limb. He knew that relying on another person to be his source of happiness wasn't probably the most healthy thing he could do, but he couldn't help it. Sokka was the only one who had ever genuinely loved him for who he truly was, except perhaps for Uncle Iroh or his mother. Sokka would never break his heart, of that much Zuko was certain).

The only people who Zuko knew to be suspicious of the true nature of his and Sokka's relationship were the two guards who kept watch of his bedroom doors every night. Zuko had instructed them to let Sokka in whenever he liked, and they were well aware that Sokka would come every night and leave every morning. Zuko was sure that they knew. But technically, they didn't have any definite proof, nor could they tell anyone. Their job was to protect the Firelord at any cost. They were not to pry into any of his personal business, and they were sworn to secrecy. It was in their oath as protectors of the Firelord. They were not to ask questions, and they were not to spread word of any of the Firelord's affairs. At first, Zuko had been concerned that they would break their oath and voice their suspicions to someone else, perhaps an advisor of his. But as far as he knew, they never did, and he was eternally grateful for that. For as utterly terrified as he was of his secret being revealed and shown plainly for the whole world to see, he needed Sokka by his side every night even more.

"He's my uncle," Zuko repeated. Sokka tightened his grip on his waist. "I... I feel like I'm lying to him. I'm sure he won't- I mean- Oh my god, this is a terrible idea, what if he-"

"You think too much," Sokka murmured into his hair, adjusting slightly to tangle their legs together under the sheets. Zuko scowled and lightly slapped at the other's forearm. Sokka merely chuckled. 

"I'm serious!" Zuko protested. Sokka sighed again.

"Alright," Sokka conceded. "If you're sure-" Zuko nodded- "Then I support you." Zuko smiled softly. 

_ "If you're sure,"  _ Sokka's voice repeated in his head. No, Zuko wasn't sure. He didn't know if he'd ever be sure. But he also knew that it felt wrong to keep something so important, something that was such a huge part of his life, from his uncle. The man who was the closest thing to a father that he'd ever had, the man who had supported him through everything and had never ceased to love him unconditionally. He needed to know.

"Besides, I know he likes me," Sokka commented lightly. Zuko knew this, of course, but wasn't about to feed into his boyfriend's ego by saying so.

"Yeah?" he teased. "And how do you know?"

"He loves my jokes!" Sokka said brightly, pulling a groan out of the smaller man. "Come on, don't you?"

"No," Zuko groaned. "I hate them." He moved his body slightly so that he could turn his head to gaze at the other, who, he discovered, was faking a pout. He smirked. "But it's a good thing I love you." Sokka grinned and laughed heartily, pulling Zuko down so that he was laying on his chest. Zuko turned his body so that he could nestle into his lover's side, resting his head on the other's broad chest and laying his hand on his midsection. Sokka pressed a chaste kiss to the top of his head. Zuko smiled, feeling warm and content. 

Zuko had never considered himself someone who could voice his affections so plainly. He had always been too cautious, too pessimistic, too hurt, too scared. But with Sokka, it was different. With Sokka, he couldn’t help it. With Sokka, he could say anything and everything. With Sokka, he was free.

"I love you," Zuko whispered.

"I love you more," Sokka whispered back. Zuko hummed drowsily, his exhaustion catching up to him.

"I doubt that," he murmured with a soft upturn of his lips. Sokka chuckled.

"Well, you shouldn't, sweetheart."

Zuko fell asleep with a smile gracing his lips, and his heart light. The heartbeat and steady breathing of his lover lulled him into a deep, dreamless sleep.

***

"No, Sokka," Zuko said sternly as he placed his headpiece into his hair knot. He watched in the mirror as the other pulled on his tunic behind him and tied his hair up in a loose bun. Sunlight streamed in through the window, and a new day was upon them. Zuko was preparing to board a ship en route to Ba Sing Se to visit his uncle in an hour or so. Sokka wished to come with him. Zuko wouldn't let him.

"Why not?" Sokka whined.

"Because this is something that I need to do on my own," Zuko responded simply, letting his arms drop to his sides as he surveyed himself in the mirror. He assessed his long, dark hair that fell almost to his waist, his elegant, silky robes, and the scar that covered half of his face which he considered absolutely hideous (something that Sokka ademately disagreed with). All in all, he looked exactly like a Firelord should. Clean, polished, serious, extravagant, royal. He looked the part, alright. But that didn't mean that he felt it.

Sokka smiled as he came up from behind the other and wrapped his arms around his midsection. Zuko let himself lean back into the other man's chest, huffing as he did so, and Sokka buried his face into his shoulder. 

"Hello handsome," he greeted, voice muffled by the fabric of Zuko's shoulder piece. Zuko chuckled. 

"Hello yourself," he replied. The two basked in a comfortable silence for a moment, each seemingly lost in thought.

"Are you sure you still wanna do this?" Sokka asked finally. Zuko's breath caught in his throat.

"Yes," he replied quietly, albeit nervously. "I am. I need to visit the Earth Kingdom anyway, so I'll just stop by Uncle's tea shop while I'm there." Sokka hummed in reluctant agreement.

"Sounds good," he responded. He lifted his head slightly, a look of mild concern on his face. "Baby, are you really sure you don't want me to come with you? I mean, not to be dramatic or anything, but this is kinda a big deal." Zuko smiled reassuringly.

"I'm sure," he assured the other, clutching Sokka's hands where they were currently wrapped around his waist and intertwining their fingers. "This is something that I have to do alone." Sokka raised his head fully and gazed at their reflection in the ornate mirror before them, smiling softly. He nodded.

"Alright," he conceded. "Fair enough." Zuko smiled. 

"I love you," he whispered. Sokka grinned.

"Aw shucks," he teased in a nasaly voice. Zuko laughed with a roll of his eyes, and slapped his lover's arm. 

"You're such a goof," Zuko chastised jokingly. Sokka just shot him a toothy grin in the mirror by way or response.

"I love you too," Sokka whispered into Zuko's ear after a beat of comfortable silence. "I really do." Zuko sighed contentedly.

"I know."

***

"Zuko!" Uncle Iroh cried jovially in his full, boisterous voice upon seeing his nephew. "What a surprise! Come in, come in!" 

Zuko found himself standing awkwardly in the doorway of his uncle's teashop, heart beating so fast it might as well have been heard from a mile away. He felt nervous, and was starting to have second thoughts about even coming at all.

_ ‘It’s too late to be backing out now, dumbass!’  _ he chastised himself, and suppressed a groan.

“Well, what are you doing just standing there?” his uncle called after Zuko failed to step out of the doorway. “Come inside, Nephew!” Taking in a deep breath, Zuko stepped inside the quaint tea shop. It was small, but cozy, and perfect for Iroh. It smelled pleasantly of tea and pastries, and was a favorite destination of the residents of Ba Sing Se. His uncle was happier than he’d ever been, and for that Zuko was eternally grateful.

Zuko sat down at one of the tables, the wooden chair making an obnoxious scraping sound against the floorboards as he scooted himself in. Nervously, he flattened his robes in his lap with the palms of his hands. He was without guards, for he had ordered them to wait outside. This was a private conversation, meant only for the ears of his uncle and himself. 

Iroh came out from where he had disappeared into the kitchen, emerging with a tea kettle in hand. Humming, he poured himself and his nephew a cup of tea and sat down across from him. The steam from the cups rose between the two of them in faint whisps. Zuko wished that he could be like the steam. That he could just float away, and not have to deal with this. But he quickly shook his head, vanquishing the thought. No. He had to do this. For himself, for Sokka, and for his uncle.

As much as Zuko knew that his uncle loved him, he was worried. Iroh had grown up in a nation that did not treat people like Zuko kindly. Iroh had witnessed far more anti-homosexuality laws passed, more prison sentences handed out, and more executions performed than Zuko himself ever had. Was he worried about his uncle still loving him? No. But was he worried about his uncle reacting poorly? Yes. Would he be disappointed? Angry? Sad? Zuko didn’t know if he could bear being the cause of his uncle’s woes once again. He had already hurt him enough.

But he had to do this.

“There is something bothering you, Nephew,” Iroh stated matter of factly. It wasn’t a question. Zuko smiled humorlessly. Iroh could always read him perfectly no matter what the situation was.

“Yeah, you could say that,” Zuko responded, his voice cracking slightly. He cleared his throat, took in a deep breath, and sat up straighter. He would do this with all of the dignity he had. Zuko met his uncle’s eyes reluctantly. Iroh was gazing back at him patiently, taking small sips of his tea. He would let Zuko speak when he was ready. Iroh had always been like that. Always waiting patiently for his nephew to be ready.

“I have something to tell you,” Zuko spoke up after a moment of silence. “A-and I don’t know how much you’ll like it.” Iroh raised an eyebrow at him.

“And why is that?” he asked mildly. Zuko felt his muscles tense unbearably tight.

_ ‘Just get it over with, just tell him,’  _ he urged himself. He took in another deep breath.

“Because… because… Uncle, I’m gay.” The moment the words left his mouth, he felt as if time had stopped. The words were out. He had said them. And he could never take them back. 

To his surprise, his uncle just smiled.

“I know,” he said. Zuko blanched.

“You fucking  _ what _ ?”

“Language, young man,” Iroh chuckled. Zuko could only stare at him, mouth agape and eyes wide.

“How did you-”

“Zuko, I’ve known since you were twelve,” Iroh said with a kind, knowing smile on his face. “You were never all that subtle, you know.” 

“But… But... ,” Zuko stammered lamely. Of all the reactions he had envisioned receiving, this was not one of them. The most he had hoped for was begrudging acceptance. But this? This hadn’t even been on the table. “But how did you know?” he asked finally.

“Well, you were always rather… flamboyant,” Iroh told him, chuckling good naturedly at his nephew’s look of utter shock. “Once you hit your pre-teen years, I noticed how you always got flustered around other boys, not to mention that you were never all that interested in girls, not even that Mai girl. And besides that, it was just something that I”- he gestured loosely with his hand- “well, that I just kind of knew. As much as you tried, and I know that you did, mind you, it was something that you just couldn’t hide.” 

Zuko felt tears prickle behind his eyes, but he refused to let them spill over. After all that he had gone through, everyone had known anyway? After all of those sleepless nights spent sobbing into his pillow, begging to whatever entity was up there to make him different than he was, to make him  _ normal _ ? After painstakingly practicing walking without swaying his hips, not resting his hand on his waist, and not speaking with that telltale lilt in his voice? After promising to himself and to others that he would find a nice girl to marry, that he’d fake it if he had to? After all of that, everyone had already known anyway? Zuko was shocked and dismayed.

“But… my father,” he said in a voice barely above a whisper. “He couldn’t have known, could he? He wouldn’t have allowed me to live if he knew. He would have banished me at the very least. He couldn’t have known. He couldn’t’ve..” He trailed off and Iroh gazed at him sadly.

“He knew, nephew,” he admitted, and Zuko’s breath hitched and he felt his heart plummet.  _ He knew. After all of that, he still knew.  _ “He knew, but he didn’t want to know. So he ignored it, in hopes that he was wrong. Because he needed an heir, even if that heir was you.” Zuko was at a loss for words. He couldn’t bring himself to speak. So the two of them sat in silence, Iroh continuing to take slow sips of his tea while Zuko stared wide eyed at the table. 

“You know that I love you, right?” Iroh said finally, breaking the silence. Zuko jerked his head up to meet his uncle’s gaze. He was smiling. “You’re like a son to me, Zuko. I love you no matter what. I just want you to be happy.”

“Even though I’m gay?” Zuko asked desperately, voice barely above a whisper. Iroh smiled.

“I don’t care about that, Zuko,” he assured him with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I always thought that all those laws were stupid anyway.” 

And that’s when Zuko burst into tears.

***

“So, how’d it go?” Sokka asked when they’d returned to their room that evening. Sokka had met Zuko at the dock upon his return (strictly as an ambassador and subject of the Firelord, of course), and had accompanied him and a couple of guards back to his quarters. Zuko groaned as he plopped himself onto the edge of their bed, and Sokka winced.

“Not well, huh?” he asked sympathetically, sitting down beside Zuko, who had taken the golden piece out of his hair and let his long, smooth hair fall gracefully around his face. He rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. They were still red and puffy from all the crying he’d done, held in his uncle’s embrace and being soothed by his kind words.

_ “Zuko, it’s alright,” Iroh had assured him with a light chuckle as he rubbed his nephews back. Zuko only continued to sob into his shoulder, soaking his shirt with his tears. “There’s no need to cry.” _

_ But Zuko cried nonetheless. He didn’t think that he had cried so hard in his entire life. He had never been allowed to. It felt as though an enormous burden, one that had plagued him for over half of his life, had been lifted from his shoulders. He felt a sense of freedom he hadn’t felt in a long, long time. So he cried. He cried until there seemed to be no more tears left to spill. _

Sokka wrapped his arm around Zuko’s waist, and Zuko rested his head on the other’s shoulder, turning his body so that the other could wrap both of his arms around him fully. Zuko moved his head so that it rested comfortably in the crook of the other’s neck, curled his legs in so that they practically laid in his boyfriend’s lap, and he let out a sigh of relief. Sokka held him tighter.

“No,” he conceded finally. “It went really well actually.”

“Really?” Sokka cried suddenly, lifting the other’s chin up with his hand to look him in the eyes. Zuko saw nothing but unbridled happiness and relief in the other’s smile, and that made him grin as well. He nodded.

“Yeah,” he repeated. “Yeah, he… he accepted me.” Sokka laughed giddily, and hugged Zuko tighter, so tight in fact that Zuko felt as though he might crush him. But he just laughed. “And he accepted you too.”

_ “So who’s the lucky guy?” Iroh had asked teasingly. “Is it that Sokka boy? I know you always liked him.” _

Sokka had been almost as nervous as Zuko was about telling Iroh. Sokka had never had much to worry about when it came to telling his family about his relationship. Katara always had an inkling about the nature of her brother’s relationship with Zuko (“I’m not blind, Sokka!”), and besides being mildly surprised that his son was interested in boys (“I’m interested in girls too, Dad!”), Hakoda had no problem with his son being involved with someone of the same sex. The only reservations about their relationship came from his grandmother, who wasn’t too happy about the fact that her grandson was involved with someone from the Fire Nation (the Firelord no less!). But she soon got used to it, with the constant assurances of Hadoka and Katara, and had actually come to be fond of Zuko. He was one of the few outsiders who ate her cooking without any complaints.

But Sokka knew that really, Iroh was all the family that Zuko had. Well, the only family that mattered, anyway. What with his father being the devil incarnate, his mother being banished and her whereabouts unknown, and his sister still out of commission while being treated for everything that had led up to her complete mental breakdown, the only one that had ever truly loved and cared about Zuko through thick and thin was Iroh. Sokka knew that Zuko would be absolutely devastated without his uncle’s support. And as much as Sokka liked to tease his boyfriend (“Jerkbender!”), he hated to see the other in pain.

But now he knew that he had nothing to worry about.

“I’m so proud of you, baby,” he whispered softly into Zuko’s ear. He felt Zuko smile against the skin of his shoulder. Sokka kissed the other’s forehead. “I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you too,” Zuko replied in equal softness and sincerity. “More than anything.”

And with this, Zuko felt truly at ease for the first time in many, many years.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it! Kudos and comments are much appreciated, as well as constructive criticism <3


End file.
